The Nexus of World and Faith

When I was a boy growing up on a farm in the hills of West Virginia, our “near” barn was about fifty yards from our house. I traversed those fifty yards several times a day to milk the cows, feed the horses, tend the chickens. I remember three things from those brief journeys.

One, I most often felt I had to run, and I did. Two, occasionally I would decide to walk, slowly; I’m not sure why. Three, and most importantly, I had my first inkling...

Anyone who knows me, or has known me, knows that joy is central to my understanding of what it means to be human. In addition to the experience of success we live in a world where we experience suffering, failure, loss, injustice, even evil. During such times, when the going is tough, when we’re vulnerable to the weakest and worst side of our nature, we need a deep commitment to something that keeps us in touch with the good, the better, the...

Earlier this morning I walked through each room in my home. I walked through so I could bless each room.

I stood in each, I thought about why I loved the room, why I wanted to bless the room. I made sure to include each closet.

Every room brought memories. I looked in each with careful attention. My heart was very quiet. Thoughts poured into me. Each room became intentionally special as I moved among them. I remembered things I had forgotten...

Prayer is considered a “religious” act, but it is also a profoundly “human” act. Every human heart/life needs the outlet of prayer. And, indeed, I think prayer is the last act considered “religious” that a human gives up.

Private, personal prayer is a form of speech freed from the opinion of others, freed from the approval or condemnation of others.

For more than fifty years I have been discussing the promise and perplexities of the human situation with both secular and religious audiences. This crossing back and forth from one audience to the other has been an eye-opening experience. more

The Promise and Perplexities

LANDON SAUNDERS

My name, Landon, means “from the long hill.” I started my life in the hills of West Virginia. As a boy I kept climbing those long hills so I could see farther. After a lifetime of journeys and many climbs, I can now see much better, see so much more.